After twenty-two long years, Arsenal are champions again. The jokes about “bottling it” can finally be retired, at least temporarily, and somewhere in North London a generation of supporters are still wandering around in a state of emotional confusion, unsure whether to sing, cry or simply phone relatives they have not spoken to since the Wenger era.

In this episode of Mark and Pete, we look at Arsenal’s long-awaited Premier League triumph and the surprisingly serious question hidden underneath all the celebrations. Why does football matter so much to people, especially men who otherwise communicate most emotions through grunting softly at the television while making tea?

The discussion follows a recent study suggesting many men display stronger visible emotion during football than in almost any other part of life. Victories bring joy, relief and hugging strangers. Defeats produce silence so profound entire households can feel it settling over the furniture. A missed penalty can apparently alter the emotional climate of a semi-detached house for forty-eight hours.

Along the way Mark and Pete talk about loyalty, tribalism, fathers and sons watching football together, the strange liturgy of the football crowd, and why modern society often mocks male passion unless it happens to involve sport.

There is also reflection on the emotional hunger sitting underneath much of modern life. Football cannot save anyone, obviously, though some supporters continue to test the theory every season. But it does reveal something important about human beings. We long to belong to something bigger than ourselves. We want shared stories, shared victories and somewhere to place hope, even if that hope is wearing a slightly faded replica shirt and shouting at a referee from Row Q.

Includes humour, theology, football nostalgia, British cultural commentary and the usual slightly dangerous mixture of seriousness and silliness.

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